id:			138765
accession number:	1963.154
share license status:	CC0
url:			https://clevelandart.org/art/1963.154
updated:		2019-03-20 10:17:53.882000

Statue of Gudea, c. 2143-2142 BC. Neo-Sumerian, Iraq, Girsu, 2143-2124 BC. Dolerite; overall: 126 x 55 x 36 cm (49 5/8 x 21 5/8 x 14 3/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1963.154

title:				Statue of Gudea
title in original language:	
series:				
series in original language:	
creation date:			c. 2143-2142 BC
creation date earliest:		2143
creation date latest:		2124
current location:		100 1916 Lobby
creditline:			Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
copyright:			

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culture:	Neo-Sumerian, Iraq, Girsu, 2143-2124 BC
technique:	dolerite
department:	Egyptian and Ancient Near Eastern Art
collection:	Near Eastern Art
type:		Sculpture
find spot:	
catalogue raisonne: 

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CREATORS

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measurements: Overall: 126 x 55 x 36 cm (49 5/8 x 21 5/8 x 14 3/16 in.)
state of the work:	
edition of the work: 	

support materials:


inscriptions:

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CURRENT EXHIBITIONS

	title:		Year in Review (1963)
	opening date:   1963-11-26T05:00:00
	<i>Year in Review (1963)</i>. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (November 26, 1963-January 5, 1964).

	title:		Traditions and Revisions: Themes from the History of Sculpture
	opening date:   1975-09-24T04:00:00
	<i>Traditions and Revisions: Themes from the History of Sculpture</i>. The Cleveland Museum of Art (September 24-November 16, 1975).

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LEGACY EXHIBITIONS

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PROVENANCE

	Feuerdent Coll., Paris
	date: 
	footnotes: 	
	citations: 	


	E. S. David
	date: 
	footnotes: 	
	citations: 	


	Feuerdent Coll., Paris;  (E. S. David)
	date: 
	footnotes: 	
	citations: 	


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fun fact: 
Gudea was an ancient Sumerian ruler who governed the city of Lagash late in the 3rd millennium BC. This statue is missing its head, but it is identified as Gudea, the clasped hand gesture typical for representations of him. Statues like this one would have been votive dedications offered to the gods by Gudea, demonstrating his devotion and piety.

digital description: 


wall description: 
Gudea was the political and religious governor of Lagash, one of the oldest Sumerian cities. More than 2,400 inscriptions mention his name and describe his 20-year campaign of city improvements, including new temples and irrigation canals. He was also a patron of the arts. Of the more than 30 statues of Gudea that survive, this is one of the finest examples. Many statues had their heads severed in an effort to destroy their ritual potency. This figure’s clasped hands create a distinctive, unnatural gesture that recurs frequently in both seated and standing versions; it may be an expression of devotion, humility, or piety.
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RELATED WORKS

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CITATIONS

	The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966.
	page number: 	Reproduced: p. 10
	url:		https://archive.org/details/CMAHandbook1966#page=34

	The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969.
	page number: 	Reproduced: p. 10
	url:		https://archive.org/details/CMAHandbook1969#page=32

	The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978.
	page number: 	Reproduced: p. 2
	url:		https://archive.org/details/CMAHandbook1978#page=22

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IMAGES

web:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1963.154/1963.154_web.jpg
print:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1963.154/1963.154_print.jpg
full:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1963.154/1963.154_full.tif